Wichita eagle., 1887-07-27
A BIT OF GLASS.

/
and left me. His advice fell in with my in
| clination. For somewhat over a fortnight /
had been ''roughing it" in the mountains in
the interior of Virginia. To lose my bearings
80 completely seemed an absurdity in one ac-
customed to long hunting expeditions, never
theless all day long l had seen neither noun
| taineer nor mountaineer's cabin. 1t was keen
and chilly--an atmosphere conducive to a
| relish for the most homely Of suppers. Tired,
hungry and baffied by the incomprehensibls
topography of these great ridges, my per-
plexity deepened into the gloomy certainty Of
a supperless bed under the pines. 1t bright
ened suddenly when tall man in homespun,
with an ancient gun upon his shoulder, slowly
crossed the ravine below me. A moment later
] was beside him.
| "Hit's bout dark now, stranger-you just
come home wild me-Joe Craddeck, of Fodder
Top Ridge-'taint more'n a couple Wv mile
| furder on" he Hospitality urged.
! That was how it happened that / sat down
| that first time before Joe Craddeck's ponder.
Gus fireplace in Joe Craddecks small log
cabin.
A fire blazing on the hearth filed the low
| ceiled room with red glow of pitch pine.
Ave hev strangers torbul ofting," my host
| remarked. "Howsumever, the last stranger
es come erlong took sick en- died. That wur
only jes' when Dildy's baby gal, kase he
give her buzzom pin wild glass bead i'll
hit Dunno es could call her mine wen hit
wur savin' fur Dildys glass sinner"
Luck was against him." ] said, stretching
my feet to the blaze. "Did he meet with an
accidents"
"Jes' So stranger, the accident wur, he
done TUX sick en- died Twan't long ago.
Dildy's growed up sence. Heahs Dildy
now"
He motioned over his shoulder without
looking around. A girl Of 16 stepped into
the doorway and hesitated shyly, while she
toyed with her long plaits of black hair Two
things riveted my attention instantly. They
evoked sudden irrepressible desire to know
more of them. They were Dildys face and
the pin fastening the collar of Dildy's blue
cotton dress. The one was undeniably beau
tiful-the other simply mystery in this OBJ
scure cabin. 1t was nothing less than one OF
the finest diamonds l had ever beheld.
Tongues OF fire seemed TO dart and scintillate
in weird briliancy from the magnificent soli-
taire. Some traces of amazed curiosity and
doubt may have been reflected upon my fea-
lures, for the mountaineer said:
"Hit's my Dildy, stranger" by way of in
PRODUCTION, zen / mind me that az bUzzom
pin is the one the cun'el gin her."
"Win you show it to meW l asked in a
bland, persuasive tone, after Dildy had
shaken hands with me in shy cordiality.
owned to intense curiosity, not unmixed
With some misgivings. The spot was GER
tainly isolated. The man Craddeck might be
anything from the unsophisticated noun
taineer to the crafty, INSCRIPTIONS highway
man. Closer inspection satisfied me that the
stone was ''on color" of remarkable bril-
lancy and set in old fashioned style. The
first glance showed me that it was of great
value.
at is beauty" said cautiously.
"Mebbe so; Dildy likes HIT" carelessly re-
torted Craddeck, putting at his corncob pipe
"l'd a chunked hit in the Goals long ago eff the
cun'el es died hadn't guv that ar thing to
Dildy. Hits Gurus how that ar bit Nv glass
kin shine"
"Do you know who the stranger wass" II
dunno es | ever thought to ask him.
Wife, she mout done hit. I'd jes' come
home from follerin' Jackson an Early four |
yeah Nv fightin' in the valley en- round Rich |
mond Plowin' en- pitchin' corn hedn't KEN |
handy, like handlin' muskit, en-, KEN to |
think Nv hit, faint never been handy sence,"
he added meditatively.
"Was the stranger soldier in the Southern |
armys'
Dunno as he wur--the cun'el he'd drawed |
on a Teller Ell kilt him. en- somehow be was |
pow'ful sorry fur it. ! fetched him home
one night jes es done done you, en- he never |
went out no mo-. Mary tended him, but the
cun'el want tryin' to git well. wur hank
erin arter that track of brush ground long.
side the Piney ridge fur cattle range. Hits
on'y thousand acre bit Nv lam, ell turn for
sale, but hain't got no higher to gittin' hit,
en- that's wen Dildy's a fodder. The cun'el
seemed like he hoped me to want that ar
range some day. Hill be with a forth,
Joe,' says he; git hit eff you kim WANT
no kinder use a-tellin' me that, kase wanted
that lam bad enough; hits fur sale yit; dunno
es I'll ever hev the luck to own hit. Jes' afo'
he died, bout a couple Nv weeks, the cun'el
sent fur me en- SEE, Joe Craddeck, you've
been nv friend wien hadn't none / haint
gwine to git well, Ell dunno es l keer, but
heah's sommut es will buy that thousand acre
track; do you go on that lam en- no other, fur
Dildy-mind you, this ere's fur Dildy'-he
stretch out his ham en- guv me suthin."
"Was it in the pini" inquired.
"Twant nuthin' else, stranger the noun
taineer retorted with grim, contemptuous
smile wen 1 KEN to look he'd put the
buzzom pin in my ham. Every day he'd
watch me KEN in from shootin' pa't'idges, en-
ak me fust, 'Hev you bought hitF Seemed
like he'd sot his heart on NE sellin' the buzz
yum pin ell buyin' that ar land. hedn't the
heart to dissap'int him, so | said, I've done,
done bought hit, cunei.' Fur Dildy, don't
YOU furgit that-fur Dildy,' he KEEP tellin'
me-"
.Why did you not buy the land!" 1 in
CURED. Il have no douot it would have been
q good purchase
"Jes so. stranger, twere fust rate cattle
ranch. but the cun'el mus a been out of his
head to think scrap of shiny glass would
buy a pip's with of anything" was the dry
as if the mountaineer pitied and
laughed at the hallucination. Il guy hit
over to DIdy, en- she wouldn't sell hit for
uothin' savin' book-she's pow'ful fond Of
readin' sense the preacher at the cross roads
hrnt her how to read
The man laughed low, dry laugh and
nodded toward the girl Dildy was surrepti
iously reading an illustrated paper resur-
'ected from weeks burial in the bottom Of
nv game bag. She laid it down and hiushed
lotly.
Il have been careful not to spoil it, sir,'
he said, timidly 81 thought YOU wouldn't
mind if looked at it"
You shall have it and welcome
The color deepened III the pretty cheeks;
he beautiful eyes glowed
"Would you like to go to town.
Il would rather stay here with plenty of
,ooks."
"But you have books and everything else
n town. / urged.